If I was thinking about spending $5800.00 for a GT, I would be looking hard at what Kubota had to offer. A BX 1500 is in your price range and if nothing else, at least you get a CAT 1 three point hitch, a diesel engine that will be less expensive to run and most certainly outlast the highly respeected Kohler Command Pro. In addition, the 'bota has two PTO's to run other implements, a ROPS to protect you and it will hold its value much better than than the CC. Oh, and it weighs 1213 pounds.

One is a real tractor and the other is a wannabee. You choose which one is which.

And I suspect the Kobota cost considerably more. It appears on this forum if it is not John Deer or Kobota, then forger it. My experience has been the Cub 3000 series is a well made and wonderful machine that gives outstanding service.

If you are not going to use it commercially, then overall a gasoline engine may may be more economical. Have you ever worn out a gasoline engine on a lawn tractor, they usually last a 1,000 hours or more. The cost of repairs on a diesel engine can be horendious. Can you say injection pump?

The Kubota BK 1500 has been superseded by the KB1800. With a 54 inch deck it is $9,154 (includes sales tax) here North Caroling. That is 2/3 more or $3,654. That brings on some more thinking.

I purchased a new GT3200 in April of 2005. It has the SnowBlower, 50" Mower and 3PH as Cub Equipment. I purchased a rear blade, dirt plow, cultivator and drags during 2006. Before I purchased the Cub, I spent 6 months looking at John Deere, Kubota and 3 Cub Dealers before I settled on the Cub. It has 100 hours on it with no problems at all. I am totally satisfied with it, the power steering, dif lock and hydraulic lift make a great little tractor.

A Cub and a Kubota (BX or B) are not even in the same league!! I own both and they are very different machines. My cub is a 2000 series and is now pushing 800 hours and is a tank, never any problems so far. They are heavy duty machines and not at all like the the machines you find at Sears or the HD. These are not the regular box store models that are disposible, many of these machines are used commercially. Engines are usually rated for 2000 hours but many go beyond that by a lot.

The 3000 series has great features and is a solid choice. Try it and see but don't compare them to a BX or B series kubota, they are not designed to be in that league. Oh and diesels usually go easily to 5000 hours or more and fuel injector pumps RARELY, and I mean RARELY die during the life of a quality diesel!! I'd be surprised if kubota for example had a few if any failures on maintained machines.

Come on castoff - lets be real those Cub 3000's series are a pile of junk :)~ - it has power, steering, shaft attachments, 9 guage frame, cast iron tranny, shaft drive, quick attach front hitch and so much more and is built to last. I have to say I havent come across a better pile of junk to own for the price vs value arguement.

{{gwi:322861}}

Hey listen to Ducati he has both a JD compact and a Cub 3000 series. The only things I have herd people complain about is the lift cylinder on the quick hitch and how when the extra hydraulic circuts are mounted on the tractor the way the hyraulic lines are routed. I personally don't own a 3000 series. I have a JD X485 and 2 cub cadets as well a 2206 and a IH cub cadet 106 It even has a few features I like better than my X485 is the 3point can be lifted seperatly with out having to lock the deck it up position that is once you put the other extra hydraulic circuts on. I think you will be very happy with the 3000 series Cub Cadet.

bill in nc,
I guess someone needs to tell Kubota about that changeup because their website still lists the BX 1500 as a current model. Sure, diesels cost more to rebuild but at least, they are rebuildable. Most of the twins today aren't worth rebuilding. It's cheaper to put in a short block or long block if you have to pay a shop to do all the engine rebuilding work. But a diesel will outlast three or four of those twins.

taiser, I agree that they are not in the same league but Kubota seems to think so. If you go to Kubota.com, find the BX1500 and go to the "comparison" chart, the CC3206 and the Deere GX335 are both listed.

Now, now ducati. I never said that the CC was a pile of junk. Don't put words in my mouth. The OP was concerned about longevity. As good as the CC is, you can't get a rear PTO, nor a Cat 1 three-point. Those two features alone open up a world of attachments that your CC can only dream about. Oh.... and did I mention that you can't buy a CC with a loader? Hmmmmmm. Now which one is the real tractor and which one is the wannabee??????????

And the 'bota comes standard with 4 WD, thus negating the need for all those wheel and suitcase weights your tractor bristles with, just so you can blow some snow.

loader for Cub cadet 3000 series is made by kwik-way loader company of Sioux Falls South Dakota.

The Cub is a garden tractor. That little Kubota is the wannabee.

Better talk to a dealer if you think the BK 1500 is still available. Some may still have one, however, my dealer said they had been superseded by the BK 1800, but what does he know, he is only a Kubota dealer and you know how they will lie.

seargent,
With some work, you can stick a Porsche engine into an older VW bug but that doesn't make the Bug a Porsche.

After-market loaders are made by people who will fit one onto a Snapper RER if they think it will sell. The fact that Kwik-way makes a loader that they have ADAPTED to bolt onto a CC 3000 doesn't make a CC3000 a good candidate for a FEL. If MTD felt that the CC3000 was strong enough for loader work, they would offer one themselves as an option. Two-wheel drive FEL's have dramatic limitations and machines like a CC 3000 often don't have enough front axle, spindle strength or wheel bearings to properly support the loads a FEL brings.

bill in nc,
Yep, I agree. All dealers lie. LOL
Maybe Kubota can't afford to alter their website right now but it says what it says. They do mention something about the "NEW" 1800 series though.

And what's with the BK designation? I have been talking about the BX series but perhaps you're a bit dyslexic. LOL

jdd,
How about we settle this by putting a chain between the drawbar on the Kubota and the drawbar on the Cub and see which tractor drags the other to the crusher? Oh, wait a minute. Does a Cub even have a drawbar? LOL

castoff,

I typically like your posts and enjoy the correspondance and have asked you for advice.

Right now I find it strange that your position is comparing two unrelated items - you are comparing true garden tractors with true sub-cuts. Regardless of the brand there is a world of difference between the two. Nobody brought these two subjects up but yourself -not even the OP. Nobody is under the illusion that sub-cut are more machine in general over garden tractors. They are suppose to be - thats why they cost more and offer more.

I cant add anymore to this subect - it makes zero logic

peace

Duc

The BX1500 is no longer made, but some dealers still have them, which is why they are still on the website (so I've been told). If you can swing the 1500 go for it, even a used one with

Kwik-way is the OEM for Simplcity loaders for for XL series and sevral seriers prior and so on. Oh and the kwik-way loader was specificly desinged for the Each individual tractor by Kwik-way they have been designing and building loader for Cub Cadet and may others for 40 plus years. But now we are of the subject. The Cub cadet 3200 series is a great garden tractor it will give you years of service.

Hey castoff, can I get in on this pull-off with the log chain between them? I did that with a JD and my old Massey, guess you know who won because I'm telling you about it! Might be fun to try a bota or cub.

ducati,
You are right but also wrong.

On the right side, I should have told the OP that the Cub he is considering is an excellent, well made tractor that will give him many years of use in a residential application. In addition, I should have asked him to tell us what he intends to use the Cub for, the size of his property and so forth because all of that plays into whether the Cub will suit his needs 100 percent or not.

On the wrong side, it isn't me that is comparing the BX1500 to the Cub........it's Kubota themselves. Whether it's a fair comparison or not.... the people at Kubota must have looked at the marketplace offerings to see what came close to the BX1500 specs regarding size, weight, hp etc and made the decision THEY did.

Regardless of the comparison, the resulting replies have given the OP something to think about along with a ringing endorsement of the CC he is considering. Whether the OP can make use of three-point hitch attachments or the PTO on a Kubota or similar tractor, is something that he alone can answer. All I wanted to do, was to make him aware that such things exist since he is prepared to spend six grand.

If he had been asking about an LA series, then I wouldn't have brought it up out of the blue, like I did. Few people spend that kind of coin unless they have a fair sized property to maintain. And if you have a fair sized property, then lots of other chores come with it. Having a tractor with the widest flexibility to handle time-saving attachments would seem to be a wise move. The Kubota provides such flexibility.

castoff

how the hell im I wrong? he wants to buy something for $ 6 k
sub-cuts cost more - check around. Assume its new that he is looking for because we know the BX1500 is long gone. Who cares what Kubota marketing posts? if you cant tell they are comparing apples and organges then you are easily mislead. They did that to make themselves look better than they really are. Plenty of sub-cut 4wd drives they could have compared themselves to at the time. Any X series 4wd, 2210, 4010, Simp XL, and a whole hoist of others. Seriously what good is 10-11 HP PTO power? I cant think of any attachment that it will power thats worth a damn...
Arguing for the sake of arguing, you can save that for someone else thanks

Duc